Brussels, 30/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Union “welcomes” the decree signed on 20 March 2005 by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev, pardoning 115 prisoners, of which 53 had been designated political prisoners by Council of Europe experts. According to a statement from the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council, published on Wednesday, the EU welcomed the freeing of political leaders incarcerated following events in October 2003 and believes that Azerbaijan has “thus taken a further step towards meeting its obligations to the Council of Europe.” The EU “remains concerned about the situation of those political prisoners still in custody,” and calls on the Azeri government “to release them without delay” and to “fulfil its undertakings to the Council of Europe and the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe).”